Revisiting “Heartbeat,” the near-omnipresent electro-pop single that brought Norway’s Annie to North American dance floors back in 2004, it’s impressive just how well it’s held up. Five years later, the singer has finally dropped the followup to her debut album, Anniemal. Don’t Stop, her sophomore album, features 12 new songs ranging from sleek synthesized melancholy to sugary fluff readymade for an aerobics class and/or iPod commercial.
Most of this stuff is hard not to like. Even when Annie’s lyrics succumb to Avril Lavigne-style teenage ’tude (“My Love Is Better” and “I Don’t Like Your Band”) or straight-up silliness (“The Breakfast Song”), Annie’s musical backdrops are still as masterfully produced as they are catchy. If there were any justice, a banger like the title track “Marie Cheri” or “Songs Remind Me of You” would overtake that Lady Gaga and Katy Perry dreck at the top of the charts.
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